The Proclamation Day commemoration marks the arrival of Governor Hindmarsh and the reading of the Proclamation document under the Old Gum Tree.

This year marks the 185th Proclamation Day and we ask you to join us to acknowledge and reflect on the impact of our shared history and what it means for all South Australians.

Pathawilyangga (Glenelg) was a significant place for cultural celebrations, ceremony and trade and would be used as a camp by traditional owners, the Kaurna People, during summer months. When the cold south-westerly winds and the flooding of Warripari (Sturt River) that fed into the Pathawilyangga estuary made life difficult during the winter months, the Kaurna often moved further inland to the foothills. This seasonal movement allowed important food sources to regenerate and was part of the careful management of their lands.

The arrival of colonists in South Australia from 1836 signalled a new chapter for the Kaurna people and Pathawilyangga became the official ‘meeting place’ of cultures. In 1834, the British House of Commons passed ‘A Bill to erect South Australia into a British Province’ and consequently on the 19 February, 1836 the Letters Patent establishing the Province of South Australia were signed by King William IV.

When the Letters Patent were issued it was the first time Aboriginal rights were legislatively acknowledged and granted in Australia’s colonial history.

The first official settlers left London for South Australia in February 1836. In all, nine ships carrying over 500 colonists had arrived on the shores of Holdfast Bay by December 1836. The last of these ships to arrive was the Buffalo, captained by John Hindmarsh, who was to be the new province’s first governor. The Buffalo anchored off Holdfast Bay early in the morning of 28 December.

On the same sweltering summer day, the new settlers gathered under the shade of a ‘huge gum tree’. The Proclamation Document was read and a moral tone set for the new province. Marines from the Buffalo fired a ‘royal salute to the British flag’ followed by a ‘feu-de-joie’, after which the ‘Buffalo saluted the Governor with 15 guns’.

History has shown us that the intention of the Letters Patent and iteration in the Proclamation were not followed in the decades since 1836, but this year at the 185th Proclamation Day ceremony we endeavour to acknowledge and reflect on our joint histories as a State.

For more information about the shared cultural importance and narrative of the Proclamation and the Letters Patent. Proclamation Day Ceremony 2024.